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RECIPE: Orange Scones

It's been almost a year since I moved back to California. Life has presented some challenges since returning...but that's life, right? Now that I feel like I'm getting a toe hold I want to get back to the thing that inspired this blog three years ago; baking and preserving!

To start the ball rolling I thought I'd share my recipe for Orange-Pecan Scones. These are no ordinary scones, mind you. Made with moist and rich and packed full of citrussy, nutty goodness.

Prepare the oranges:
After washing thoroughly, zest both oranges reserving roughly ½ tsp for the glaze and the rest for the dough. With a sharp chef’s knife supreme the oranges by slicing off ½ inch off the stem end again to the opposite end. Turn the orange on to one of the flat sides and slice off the peel following the curve of the orange to expose the flesh. Holding the orange in your hand, carefully remove the orange sections by slicing down along the membranes to the core making sure not to go all the way through. Do this over a bowl fitted with a mesh strainer to catch the juices. Next roughly break up the sections into small pieces and squeeze out as much juice as possible into the bowl. Set aside.

Make the dough:Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Then loosely toss in dried fruit, orange zest, nuts and orange pieces. Whisk buttermilk, vanilla and oil in a small bowl and add to flour mixture.

Fold ingredients together until just combined, rubbing the dough between your fingers and pressing it against the bowl until it all comes together. Then divide dough into two equal portions. Press each portion into a disc about 1 ½ inches thick. Cut each round into 6 wedges and place on a parchment lined baking sheet spaced evenly apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until very lightly browned on the edges and firm to the touch. Let cool to room temp on a cooling rack before glazing.

Make the glaze:Mix all of the icing sugar ingredients together in a large measuring cup. Glaze should be fairly thick but pourable. Slowly drizzle icing over the scones and let dry for about ten minutes. They keep for a couple of days wrapped in tin foil and freeze great!